A tragic contradiction in Bela's life was that, while popular culture refused to stop associating him with Dracula, Universal wasn't putting him in any more Dracula films, and the lawyers were making sure no one else was putting him in that role either. This is the second of only two non-Universal films that dared put Bela in the role of a vampire who is pretty much Dracula, though not exactly.

The writing is problematic in places, but generally deeper and more complex than what you might come to expect from a genre film, especially with a brilliant and courageous aging heroine as our unexpected lead, as well as the sympathetic werewolf servant seeking redemption, which has heavy undertones of a recovering drug addict's journey. Powerful stuff, even when there are certain minor points and details that don't quite add up. Additionally, the production values are impressive, and the supporting cast is first rate.

Unfortunately, this amazing opportunity to redeem Bela's career and catapult him back into the spotlight comes a decade too late. Whereas Bela was in his prime a decade earlier, age and morphine have caught up with him badly by this point. He's simply too old and frail to be playing Dracula anymore. He manages to pull off two of the most important scenes beautifully, but he's utterly old and awkward in most of his other scenes. He simply fails to cast the spell this time around, even while the writing, the lighting, the cinematography, and his fellow actors all do their best to make this film a Lugosi masterpiece.

It's still a fantastic film that some will claim deserves to be far higher on this list (and it's definitely a personal favorite of mine), but it's also a film looking for the 1931 Bela and getting a tired old man instead. The best Bela films of the 1940s and 1950s utilize him as a kindly old man with a sinister alter ego, not a dashing vampire depending upon his sexual charisma to entrance women a third his age.


Return of the Vampire is streaming on Youtube for a rental fee:

Universal's swan song for its classic horror monsters, this film gets an impressive 90 minute run time and lavish budget, and it reunites all of the original monster actors except Karloff (who refused, and yet agreed to promote the film). Sure, it's played for laughs, but it still manages to carry so much of the charm of the earlier Universal Horror films, and Abbott and Costello certainly bring their own to the mix as well. Perhaps most importantly to this countdown, it's only the second and final time Bela would ever officially play Dracula on film, having been snubbed for the role in Dracula's Daughter, Son of Frankenstein, House of Frankenstein, and House of Dracula.

While it is fantastic to have Bela back in the cloak one final time, the script doesn't really have him playing "Dracula". In both the original Dracula and Mark of the Vampire (both coming later on this list), there was an inhuman quality to his depiction of a vampire. He could entertain a parlor full of guests if necessary, but it was an act intended to lure in prey. In Return of the Vampire, he came off as more human, but only as a means of enacting a very personal revenge. Here, he feels more like the stereotypical arch-nemesis Bela often plays in his B films, only clad in the outer trappings of Dracula. He does the mannerisms and inflections, but he's just a mad scientist trying to animate the Frankenstein monster (and really, why would Dracula ever care about that?). He services a plot instead of fulfilling any kind of intrinsic monstrous motivation, and thus his depiction is regrettably two dimensional.

As with any farewell episode or film, nostalgia dominates my feelings for this final outing of the core Universal monster actors, but when you look at the film for what Bela is actually bringing to the role, it's not what a true fan would have hoped for it to be.

Still, it's a damn fun final goodbye to the characters and genre we love so well.


You can rent Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein on Youtube:

Bela's first Poverty Row horror outing is still one of his best remembered. The plot is absurd, the special effects laughable, but Bela playing the kindly old doctor with a secret and insane plan to murder never fails to amuse, and he does it so very well here.

Lugosi always shines brightest when he gets to play a character who is charming on the surface. He has such an unmistakable warmth that exudes from him, and when he subtly switches gears from that kindly demeanor to savage madness, it's a sincere joy to watch. He adds such complexity to such a simple character, to the point that you know Lugosi clearly understands why his character is RIGHT in murdering all these people who consider him practically family, even if the script fails to ever help us understand it.


The Devil Bat is streaming free on Youtube:

By all rights, this film should have been the ultimate embarrassment of Bela's career, pairing him with a stale drag comedy act in a production he allegedly only signed on to in order to pay for airfare home from the UK. However, Bela wasn't the only one at the tail end of his career here. Arthur Lucan (Mother Riley) had now been playing the role for two decades, the frequency of film releases had slowed down significantly, and he had just divorced his co-star and business partner. This would be his final film. Perhaps that's why the script seems to have such love for both characters, treating them warmly and not just playing them for stale gags. This is a genuinely cute film that understands what is adorable and endearing about both the Mother Riley character and Bela Lugosi.

If you can get past the utterly painful opening music number, the film is cute, silly, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, and the script writer seems to have a true affinity for Bela. The role he plays compounds so many of his past acting roles into one villain who is a vampire, a mad scientist, a foreign agent working on weapons he intends to sell to enemies, and a benign old man all while commanding an evil robot. That pretty much captures 90% of Bela's acting career in one single role.

There's no real opportunity for Bela to reach or try something new when he's playing a role that is an homage to so much of his past career, but he shines brightest when sharing the screen with Mother Riley. For whatever absurd reason, this character sheds his evil and his ambitions because he has affection for the character, and it's truly adorable to watch. There is absolutely no reason for Bela's character to lend her such kindness (even if her blood type is what he needs for his experiment), but it allows Bela to show his genuine charm where one was simply expecting your standard Lugosi villain. It's a truly nice showcase for Bela.

Often a source of perverse amusement or shame for fans of Bela, Mother Riley Meets The Vampire is an unsung high point in Bela's later career. If you love Bela for his warmth and personality, this is a film that showcases those qualities in spades, all while savoring the sharp contrast against Bela's more familiar roles and characterizations.


Mother Riley Meets The Vampire is streaming free on Youtube:

Forget Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein; THIS is the best meeting of a comedy team and Bela Lugosi. While Carney and Brown have nothing on the comedy team they are clearly copying, the script itself is immensely entertaining from beginning to end, with humor, action, suspense, and a plot that never stalls nor fails to turn over new complications that never feel forced.

Also worth noting that this film is a sort of unofficial sequel to RKO's I Walked with A Zombie (1943), a film that should make everyone's top ten classic horror list. While the original film is never directly acknowledged, we are on the same island, with the same sets, the same overall tone, the same creepy zombie, and the same foreboding dude with the guitar who sings the exposition. If you ever watched I Walked with A Zombie and found yourself wanting to know more about the common people on the island (who are frequently discussed, but seldom seen) here's a story told from that perspective, and it works. Sure, this one's a comedy, but it's very respectful of the original film's premise and visuals all the same.


Zombies on Broadway is streaming free on Youtube: